Rise of the Phoenix
by AgentApril
Summary: When the main characters of GX begin to turn up murdered, will Aster finally be the hero he always wanted to be? Or will he always stay in the shadow of Jaden? Bit of angst with the whole hero thing. Rated for mention of murders. Also rated T for safety.
1. Prologue

**Hey! This is my first fanfiction ever, so please no flaming!**

**Anyway, **_**Rise of the Phoenix**_** is about Aster Phoenix finally becoming the hero he always wanted to be—but at a cost. Dun, dun, duuunnn! ROP takes place a week of two after Jaden defeats Sartorius in Season 2, whatever episode number that is…whatever, it's the last episode in Season 2.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX. If I did this would be an actual episode (or possibly an actual movie), now wouldn't it?**

**Thanks for reading!**

GXGXGX

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Aster Phoenix screamed, jolting up in his bed. "NO!" He glanced around his room and, sighing in relief, realized that it was just a dream. He had had that recurring nightmare _again_; the one where he lost to the D. It hadn't been very long since Aster had dueled his legal guardian and won, but the memory of his father's face poking out of Plasimius, of the D's yacht on fire, of his once trusted guardian's expression and tone as he retold the story of Aster's father's demise…it was all just too much for the young Pro Leaguer.

And now he was having nightmares about _losing_ that duel—of failing his father.

But now he was at Duel Academy, because he felt the need to complete the remainder of his term; it was only a few weeks until summer, anyway. Either way, it was time to put the D behind him. Along with an evil Sartorius, the Society of White, the Light of Destruction, everything. Even…no. Aster shook his head. He wouldn't think about that. But he couldn't help but think of it; but wallow in his own misery.

After all, when he had tried to become a hero, to save his best friend, what did it get him? An open slot of the damsel in distress. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he owed his life to Jaden because of it. _Jaden Yuki_.

Aster hated him, he really did. Deep down, he knew that the kid in the red jacket was a good guy, but…Aster was too jealous to admit that. And he was too proud to admit _that_.

_He_—Aster Phoenix, one of the youngest Pro Leaguers out there, master of every sport imaginable, and one smart dude—was _jealous_ of a Yugi-Moto-wannabe. Scratch that—Yugi-Moto-_could_be.

_Let's face it—that kid could _actually_ be the next King of Games_, Aster thought. _It's possible_. He let out a deep sigh. _Why am I even thinking about this?_ He checked his watch. _God, it's two in the morning and I'm laying here thinking about Jaden Yuki becoming the next King of Games_._ Maybe a midnight snack will help me get back to sleep_._ Wait_—_make that two-in-the-morning snack_. He groggily got out of his plush bed and heading for his boat's kitchen. He always slept on his boat—it was better than the Obelisk dorm; fan girls found it much easier to approach a door than to swim a couple of meters out to a boat, plus it was bigger than any dorm DA could offer, even Chazz's.

_Oh, well look at that_, Aster thought angrily, trudging toward the fridge. _Another person I don't like_. _I'd list the reasons, but they're totally obvious_. _Everyone hates Chazz except for Jaden, and he's an idiot_._ Chazz isn't like Jaden in that respect_—_while everyone hates Chazz, they also all love that Slifer kid_. _Except for me_, Aster added as an afterthought as he took some shrimp from his refrigerator. _But I have a logical reason_. _Or maybe I'm just making up excuses_._ Either way, I'm probably the only one out there who doesn't like_—_to quote Chazz_—_that Slacker_.

After scarfing down his shrimp hungrily—he hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he started eating—he plodded back to his bed and nestled under his covers. _Maybe Jaden and Chazz_—_no, make that this whole stinking academy_—_will fall off the face of the planet_—_maybe then I'd finally get some peace_.

GXGXGX

**Review, please! I'll update soon!**


	2. The First Victim

**Okay, in this chapter, the first victim will be revealed. Sorry to people who like this character, but please no flaming because I killed them. You knew that characters would get killed; it was in the summary. The rating didn't go up because there isn't any gory stuff…in **_**this**_** chapter.**

**No, I did not inherit Yu-Gi-Oh GX rights in the past day**—**I **_**still**_** don't own it.**

GXGXGX

"Uhh…" Aster groaned as he rolled over to hit the "Sleep" button on his alarm clock. "I'm up, I'm up!"

He slowly hopped out of bed and stretched. He scratched the back of his head as he headed for the kitchen for breakfast. As he opened the refrigerator, he realized that he wasn't hungry and recalled the events of the past night.

Aster sighed and slammed the refrigerator door. Then he turned around and began to get ready for class.

GXGXGX

"HEY, ASTER!" Aster heard a voice call behind him. Aster rolled his eyes. _Just what I need, the one time that kid's early_. Aster turned slowly, dreading facing Jaden this early in the morning. He had just left his boat and was on his way to the classroom.

"WAIT UP, ASTER!" Jaden zoomed up to the Pro, practically leaving a trail of dust behind him. When he finally caught up, the brunette bent over, panting. "Hey…Aster. What's…up?"

Aster rolled his eyes. "You mean _other_ than the sky?"

"Ha ha, good one, Ast!" Aster grimaced at Jaden's nickname for him. _Suppose it's better than Ast _without _the t_…

"Hey, Ast?" Aster snapped out of his reverie to glance at Jaden to show he was listening (albeit begrudgingly). "Have you seen any of the Obelisks around?"

"Um, no, why?"

"You see, Alexis said she'd come review the test we have today with me and Sy and the Sarge, but…"

"She never showed?" Aster guessed.

Jaden nodded. "Yeah, that's why I'm so early, and why the guys aren't with me. I'm going to see where she is. But I didn't see _any_ Obelisks on the way over! None! It's really weird…"

"Yeah, yeah, strange," Aster snapped impatiently. "Now if you don't mind, _I_ don't especially want to be late."

"Oh, right! Sure!" Jaden glanced down. "But…you don't want to see what's up?"

Aster rolled his eyes again. HE knew better to think that Jaden would just give up after "no." "Alright, fine. I'll come."

"YAY!" Jaden jumped up and grabbed Aster's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

Aster was spared being literally _dragged_ to the Obelisk dorm by Chancellor Sheppard, whose voice abruptly came over the one of the loudspeakers placed around the island. "Students, please return to your dorms. You are excused from classes. Anyone who is not in their dorms will receive a detention. If you are an Obelisk, stay in your room and lock your doors. If you are one of the following people, report to my office immediately: Atticus Rhodes, Jaden Yuki, Syrus Truesdale, Tyranno Hassleberry, Mindy Johnson **(1)**, Jasmine Smith **(2)**, Chazz Princeton, Dr. Crowler, and Aster Phoenix. Thank you." **(3)**

"YES!" Jaden cheered. "No classes means no test!"

"Didn't who hear?" Aster scowled.

"Hear what?"

Aster did an amine-style facefault. "We're supposed to go to Sheppard's office! Something's up!"

"Oh, right. I knew that. Come on, let's go!" Jaden grabbed Aster's hand and was able to drag him to the Chancellor office—_without_ interruption this time.

GXGXGX

**I'm gonna guess you know who the victim is by now. Anyway…Footnotes!**

**(1) + (2): I don't know their English last names (or Japanese, for that matter). I'll give you a cookie if you tell me! And I'll give you a brownie if you review! :D**

**(3): Did I miss anyone?**

**Alright! Chapter 2!**


	3. Bad News REALLY Bad News

**I'm really bored, so I'm gonna post another chapter today! YAY! Oh, and the rating going up.**

**Oh, and if you think Jaden's a bit OOC, deal with it. I like him silly. :D**

**Still don't own GX (unfortunately).**

GXGXGX

"Hey guys, what's wrong?" Aster cried as he and Jaden approached the door to the Chancellor's office. Syrus, Hassleberry, Chazz, and Atticus were already there.

"Are we in trouble again? Will I have to save the day and rescue someone again?" Jaden questioned innocently.

Aster growled as he felt his face flush and form a grimace. He shook it off. It wouldn't do anyone any good to get pissed off at Jaden.

He waited for Alexis to ask if he was okay; she was a lot more observant than any of the others. Then he realized…"Hey, where's Alexis? She wasn't called, was she?"

Atticus shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with her. I'm her brother, you guys are her friends, and Mindy and Jazz were called. They're her best friends."

"He's got a point," Chazz noted. "But how come everyone had to go back to their dorms? Is there something dangerous going on?"

"Don't worry!" Jaden cheered. "If there is, you know I'll save the day!"

"Uh huh." Chazz looked and sounded skeptical. Aster couldn't blame him.

"It looks like the only things we can do now is wait to be let in, soldiers." Hassleberry, who had been strangely quiet until now, finally spoke up.

Aster nodded. "The Sarge is right. We can either stay here anticipating what _could_ have happened, or we can stay here waiting to learn the actual _truth_."

"You want to know the truth?" a voice called from behind them. "I'll tell you the truth." Everyone whirled around to see none other than—Dr. Vellian Crowler.

"Crowler!" Jaden yelped in surprise. "What happened? Where are the girls?"

"Mindy and Jasmine will be staying in another room. They will not be joining us, because the only reason they would have been here was to determine their new quarters."

"New quarters?" Atticus asked warily. "What about their dorm with Lexi?"

"Atticus," Crowler whispered. He held out his fist, Atticus cautiously approached, and put his hand out. Crowler dropped something into his hand. Form the sound of it, Aster guessed it was…jewelry.

Atticus drew in a sharp breath. "No…" he breathed. "How?" The fist holding the jewelry clenched as the brunette squeezed his eyes shut.

"We don't know," Crowler admitted. "Mindy and Jasmine came into their room and…they are traumatized to say the least."

Aster wasn't quite sure what was happening, but from what he could gather, Alexis…was dead.

"She's…gone?" Atticus choked out, still clutching the object in his hand. Crowler hung his head. Atticus shook his head, pocketed the object, and raced off down the hall toward the Obelisk dorm.

"Alexis…" Jaden murmured. "Is she really…?" he couldn't seem to choke out anything else. Crowler nodded solemnly and everyone gasped, even Aster.

"Wha-what did you give Atticus?" Syrus whimpered.

"Alexis's locket." Crowler turned away. "It was…splattered with blood. From her neck. When Mindy and Jasmine found her, she was laying on her bed with her throat slit."

"Alexis's locket…" Syrus echoed. "I remember…one time, when Big Bro had Atticus and Alexis over, Atticus gave that locket to Alexis. It has a picture of them in it, together, as kids. Alexis never took it off; Atticus gave it to her seven years ago."

By now, everyone in the hall was trying to hold back tears, if they hadn't been already.

"So…is that what we were called here for?" Aster choked out after a few moments.

Crowler nodded again. "We think that it may have been one of our enemies, someone after the Sacred Beasts, or both, for example, the Shadow Riders."

"The Shadow Riders?" Jaden repeated with wide eyes. "You really think so?"

"Possibly." Crowler sighed. "We don't know." He shook his head. "We just don't know."

GXGXGX

_This is my chance_, Aster thought grimly as he strode back to his boat, hands in his suit pockets. _This whole murder thing is horrible, and Alexis was one of the only people on this island that didn't annoy the crap out of me, but if I can catch this murder, I will no longer be in the shadow of Jaden_. _I'll be_…_a hero_.

Little did Aster know, he was being watched from the bushes. But when he heard rustling and turned around, the mysterious person was gone, without Aster even knowing he was there.

GXGXGX

**From now on, the mystery dude will be just that**—**a dude. But it might be a girl**—**I** **don't really know yet. So I'll refer to him as "he."**

**This is going to be a series of really short chapters**—**I'll probably end up with, like, 20 chapters before the murderer is revealed. This is probably cause I hate fast-moving stories. Of course, I hate really slow stories too, but I won't make it **_**that**_** slow; don't worry.**


	4. Three More

**Sorry if you think that Aster seems **_**really**_** cold-hearted and all he wants is to be a hero and he doesn't care at all. I didn't mean to make it seem like that; he'll care more in this chapter, swear.**

**Oh, wait**—**nope, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.**

GXGXGX

"Atticus?"

Atticus glanced up from his perch on the floor, against the wall, his eyes red, to see two girls standing in front of him. "Mindy? Jasmine? What—"

"I guess you already saw…her?" Jasmine whimpered.

"The b-body? No." Atticus glanced down. "They won't let me in. I…I'd like to say goodbye, though." He sniffed. He had figured they would have let him into Alexis's room, because he was family and all. _I guess they're afraid I would feel the need to get revenge, and that I might go berserk and jump out of a helicopter into the killer's bedroom, sort of like Aster did_, Aster had thought as he angrily stalked away from the people guarding Alexis's room.

"Well…" Mindy hesitated. She didn't want to see the body of her best friend _again_, but it was the least she (or anyone else for that matter) could do. "The guards are on lunch break. There's a student watching for them until they come back. Jazz and I might be able to convince him to let us in…"

"Oh, thank you!" Atticus hopped up and hugged the two girls. "Thank you so much, girls! You won't regret this, I swear!"

Atticus never _had_ been one to keep his promises.

GXGXGX

"_What?_" Chancellor Shepard hissed.

"Oh God, Chancellor, I swear, I never would have if I had known…" the Obelisk boy in front of the Chancellor's desk gasped.

"The boy told you the whole story, as far as I can tell," Dr. Crowler confirmed. "His story matched with the guards', although they didn't have much of a story to tell."

"There are so many possibilities," Chancellor Shepard mused. "What did the scene look like, again?" As Crowler handed the chancellor a photograph, he sighed. "Call them up again."

GXGXGX

"What'cha doing, Aster?" Jaden poked his head over Aster's shoulder, the later busily typing on his computer.

"AH!" Aster yelled in surprise, his hand flying up to hit Jaden in the face. "Oops, sorry. Reflex. How'd you get up here, anyway?"

Jaden eye twitched from the impact, but he quickly recovered. "No big. So, what'cha doing?"

"I'm trying to figure this out," Aster muttered, noting that Jaden neglected to answer the question concerning how he got on the boat.

"Figure what out?"

Aster pinched the bridge of his nose. "_Please_ tell me your memory isn't that short-term."

Jaden scratched his head. "Oh, you mean the whole murder thing? Yeah, I figure this is just a dream. Just a matter of time before I wake up."

"You. Are. So. Stupid," Aster growled.

"What?"

"You think this is just a dream?!" Aster yelled, jumping up from his seat and knocking the chair over. "Have you learned nothing this past year?! Jaden, Alexis is _dead_." Aster voice cracked slightly on dead, but he continued on. "Deal with it like a normal person! Nothing good will come from pretending it never happened!"

Jaden stared at Aster in shock for a full twelve seconds while Aster stared back, breathing heavily. Then Jaden closed his eyes and ran from the boat. Aster backed up against the wall and slid down it, breathing heavily. _I guess it never really hit me before now that she's gone_…_she's really gone_… Aster thought, punching the floor beneath him.

"Aster, call for you."

Aster glanced up at his own voice coming from his pocket. "Aster, call for you" was his programmed ringtone; he had recorded it last month. Aster pulled out his PDA and switched it on.

"Chancellor Shepard?" he asked in surprise.

"Aster, I have some very grim news," the Chancellor announced immediately.

"What now?" Aster frowned. "Did the murderer strike again?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Chancellor Shepard frowned. "Apparently, Atticus, Mindy, and Jazz managed to entice the student guarding the door to Alexis's room into allowing them in. When they entered and didn't come out by the time the hired guards' lunches were done, the student began to worry. He opened the door and found all three of them, dead. Atticus had his duel disk on."

Aster sucked in his breath. So the mysterious murderer was a duelist, huh? _I can't wait to get my hands on him_, Aster thought venomously.

"And Aster?" Aster directed his attention back to Shepard. "Mindy and Jasmine were killed in the same fashion as Alexis, but Atticus…there's not a scratch on him."

GXGXGX

**Ohhh, three people at once? What will Aster do? BTW, I finally figured out who the murderer will be! Can ya guess? Bet you can't! Review, please! I haven't gotten any! Hmm…maybe I'll just quit and won't come back unless someone reviews…now **_**there's**_** an idea.**

**P.S. I don't even care if it's an anonymous review! (I'm still not opening the flame option though)**


	5. Protection

**YAY! One review! Thank you, reviewer (you know who you are)! Chapter Five! We're nearing the end!**

GXGXGX

"I assume you need our help, now?" Aster guessed. The remainder of the group was gathered in Chancellor Shepard's office; most were still in shock, but others (Syrus, for example) had red and puffy eyes.

"No, no, no." Chancellor Shepard shook his head. "I couldn't ask you to do that. I called you here because you obviously need protection."

"Protection," Aster repeated.

Chancellor Shepard nodded. "Protection. And Aster, I'm going to regret this, but you're going to need to be sent back home, to Domino City."

Aster nodded, attempting to stifle a grin. He didn't especially like it here, anyway. The only people he knew that were left were an egomaniac, a whiney tag-a-long, a buff kid who only talked about dinosaurs and the military, and, worst of all, Jaden (self-explanatory). At least Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine would have been too depressed to be annoying.

But Jaden had other plans. "What?! You can't send Aster back yet!" He grabbed Aster around the waist. "Please don't make him go, please!"

"Jaden…" Aster grunted, trying to yank the brunette off him. "Get…off…"

"Hey, Slacker's got a point," Chazz agreed. Everyone looked at him in shock. Since when did Chazz like Aster? "I mean, I haven't gotten to steal any of his stuff to sell online." Everyone glowered at him. "What?"

"Ignore him." Jaden frowned. "Wouldn't you be able to offer more protection here? Besides, for all we know, the murderer's after Aster. Since he's still a student, he's your responsibility." Everyone stared in shock again. Since when did Jaden say anything smart?

"You have a point Jaden." Chancellor Shepard sighed and closed his eyes, thinking. Finally…"I'm sorry, Aster; you'll have to stay here."

_I'm sorry, too_, Aster thought, holding back a grimace. Instead, he voiced the thought he had been harboring since Shepard had called him. "If I may, did you figure out how Atticus—er, you know…"

Everyone in the room had chosen that moment to look anywhere in the room, except at Aster; Syrus was staring out the window, Chazz was studying his shoes, Hassleberry was carefully scrutinizing the clock, and Jaden was intently examining a lock of chocolate hair. Only Shepard wasn't afraid to look directly at the one who had brought up the subject of his students' deaths.

"We have yet to figure out the manner in which Mr. Rhodes left us. We have our top scientists working it out." Shepard massaged his temples. "What a mess…"

Aster glanced down at his shoes. _Atticus had his duel disk on_. _That means it was probably, I don't know, a shadow game or something_. _I could probably figure it out if_… Aster took a deep breath. "May I see for myself?"

Chazz turned paler (is possible), Hassleberry practically fainted where he stood, and Syrus almost peed himself at the thought of seeing one of their friends dead. Jaden and Shepard just stood there in total shock, with their mouths agape. Aster shifted his weight when they stood there, unmoving, for at least twenty seconds. _Do either of them have heart problems?_ he wondered silently.

"I…suppose," Chancellor Shepard finally gasped. "You don't have a problem with…?"

"No," Aster interrupted.

"We've converted the Abandoned Dorm into an autopsy center." Shepard stood up. "Call me when you get there. And when you leave, _come right back here_. You still need protection, as does everyone else."

Aster nodded once and retreated from the office. As soon as the door slammed behind him, Jaden made up his mind.

"Can I go, too?"

"Hey!" Chazz half-yelled. "If Slacker can go, I want to!"

"Fine," Chancellor Shepard said simply, shrugging. "As you wish. You had better hurry if you want to catch up."

"I think I'll sit this one out, Sarge," Hassleberry spoke up nervously. "I'm not good with dead bodies."

"Me neither," Syrus whimpered.

Jaden shrugged. "See you guys later."

As the chancellor and his two students watched, the two rivals left, for all they knew, to their doom.

"Boys…" Chancellor Shepard began. "I need to attend a conference. Would you rather stay here, or return to your dorms?"

"Um…" Syrus glanced at Hassleberry. "I dunno. Which is safer?"

"Hmm…my office, I suppose. As long as you stay together and lock the door, you should be fine." Shepard got up from his chair and followed the path out the door that Aster, Jaden, and Chazz had taken.

As soon as he was gone, Hassleberry snorted and shook his head. "Stay together. Yeah, for all the good that did Atticus, Mindy, and Jazz."

GXGXGX

Shepard had managed to make it all the way to the conference room before he remembered that he had gotten an e-mail informing him that the location had been changed to another location because the ceiling was being repaired.

"Hmm…what was that other location?" he muttered aloud. "I guess I'll have to go back to the office; I can't remember."

However, by the time he came to the office ten minutes later, the door was locked. "I guess they took my words to heart," he murmured, referring to Syrus and Hassleberry, whom he had instructed to lock the door. "Boys! It's me! Let me in!"

He sighed angrily and began to search the top of the doorframe for the spare key, but it was gone. "That's odd…" he searched through his pockets for the original key. "I don't believe I put it in my pocket…oh! Here it is!" He pulled out the bronze key triumphantly and jammed it in the lock. As the door swung open, Shepard thought: _I wonder why they didn't open up for me? They must have been too scared_…

GXGXGX

**Cliffhanger! Love them! Unless, of course, someone does it and then they don't update for like, half a year. But I have off from school this week, so I won't do that, swear (wow I swear a lot)! Next chapter, you find out what happened to Sy and the Sarge (you can probably guess) and Aster figures something out while Jaden and Chazz go see Shepard, who's gonna call them in a mini-panic attack cause of Sy and Sarge. So, yeah. Review, please! And since threatening seemed to work, I **_**may**_** not post the next chap till someone reviews…Mwa-ha-ha! Or: I might get bored during play practice and write it…whichever comes first.**


	6. Impossible!

**Okay, so no one reviewed, but I'm **_**extremely**_** bored, so I broke down (I **_**did**_** hold out for awhile, though. And, uh, sorry about that holding out thing. School started again ****). Anyway, CHAPTER 6 TIME! Oh, BTW, this chapter takes place BEFORE the last part of the last chapter, so Aster just left Chancellor Shep's office.**

GXGXGX

Aster trudged out of Shepard office, pulling his deck out of his pocket and shuffling it. Midway through, he paused. Something about his deck was off; he could feel it…

"Aster! Wait up!" Aster groaned inwardly as he turned to meet Jaden and Chazz, who had (for some inexplicable and _unappreciated_ reason) decided to tag along.

"What?" he snapped irritably. Aster didn't enjoy their company normally—why would he enjoy them sniveling over a dead body?

"We—we just wanted to come along," Jaden stammered, taken aback by the Pro's abruptness.

"Sorry," Aster sighed. "I'm just…stressed."

"We all are." Chazz spoke callously. Aster raised an eyebrow. _Was_ that callousness…or was it…understanding? Chazz? Understanding? Aster decided to stick with callous-ness.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Aster questioned, hoping to get the pair off his back. "You won't puke or flip out or anything?"

Jaden shrugged. "Probably. But we still wanna come. We might be able to help."

Aster sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. Let's go."

GXGXGX

Five minutes later, the trio was standing in front of the abandoned dorm.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Chazz snapped. "Let's go."

Aster was starting to regret this; maybe seeing the dead body wasn't such a good idea…

"Alright," Aster agreed reluctantly, after some hesitation. "Come on." As they approached the dorm, Aster noticed Jaden looked a bit pale. "You okay, Jaden?"

Jaden nodded.

"Well, come on, then." Aster led the way toward the dorm and pushed open the door.

"AH!" Aster screamed.

"ACK!" Jaden gasped upon entering.

"WHAT—?" Chazz roared, his eyes wide.

"WHY THE HELL DID THEY PUT A FRICKING DEAD BODY RIGHT IN THE ENTRANCE HALL?" Aster yelled at the top of his lungs. Sure enough, Atticus was lying right in front of them on a stretcher. He looked as if he was sleeping.

"It sure saves us a lot of time looking for him, though," Jaden stated woozily.

"Jaden?" Chazz turned to the green-looking Slifer. "Are you…?"

Jaden waved away the comment. "I'm fi…" Then he fainted.

"Okaaay…" Chazz turned to Aster, who was cautiously approaching Atticus's body. "Exactly what were you planning on doing?"

"I'm not really…" Aster trailed off, looking down at Atticus's body. His eye grew wide. "I-I've seen this before. B-but that's i-impossible. Completely _impossible_."

"What?" Chazz questioned, coming up beside the silver-haired duelist. "What's impossible? Where've you seen this before?"

Aster opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by his PDA ringing. His hand, which had already been halfway toward his deck, switched course and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Aster, something _terrible_ has occurred!" Chancellor Shepard yelled at the Pro through the phone. "I need you all back here _immediately_, no exceptions!"

"What—?" Aster started.

"Do as I say!" Shepard roared and hung up.

"W-what do you think happened?" Chazz asked nervously.

"I don't know," Aster sighed. "But we're about to find out. Or not." Suddenly, Aster had an idea. "Hey, how about you and Jaden go back to Shepard's office and I see what I can do about Atticus."

"Aster…" Chazz narrowed his eyes at the younger boy. "…Shepard says he needs us back there right away. It's an emergency. You _have_ to come back with us."

"No," Aster corrected. "No, I don't. I'm on the verge of figuring this out, Chazz. Which do you think is more important?"

"Alright, fine." Aster could tell Chazz was beginning to get frustrated. "Fine. What do I care if you're murdered, anyway?" Scratch that, he was _already_ steamed. Chazz stalked off in a huff, only stopping to grab Jaden's leg to pull him along.

Ast stood there, scowling after them. _Who needs them, anyway? Like I said, I almost have this thing figured out_. Aster pulled out his deck and stared at it. _Even _if_ it seems totally impossible_…

GXGXGX

Shepard glanced nervously down the hall. Where were those three? He had to tell them, he _had_ to…

Shepard closed his eyes. The memory of the boys lying in his office, both face down in a pool of blood, still haunted him, though he only saw them for two seconds, tops, before he slammed the door.

His eyes snapped open. "Who's there?" he called. He had _definitely_ heard footsteps. "Who's there?" he repeated.

"Your worst nightmare," **(1) **a mysterious voice answered before a figure bathed in shadows attacked Shepard.

"No! It can't be!" Shepard screamed as he backed away. _I thought he was dead!_

GXGXGX

**Footnotes! Okay, there's only one, so Foot**_**note**_**!**

**(1) I know, totally overused, but I couldn't resist :D**

**So, I have school again, so just a warning: my updates will have longer periods of time between them. But that's okay, cause there's only a few more chapters left to go, anyway!**


	7. Revelation

**I got a review *squeals excitedly* so I decided to tune out Latin class and write Chapter 7!! YAY!**

**P.S. Danny'sGhostGirl—one, you **_**were**_** signed in. And you were signed in last time, too. That's how I know who you were. Two, you're right. School **_**is**_** gaytarded.**

GXGXGX

Chancellor Shepard backed slowly away from the figure before him, eyes on the knife in the figure's hand. _This_—_this can't be_, he thought desperately.

"How?" he croaked. "Y-you're _dead_!"

The stranger (or not) laughed. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" He shook his head. "I won't brag about how I miraculously escaped; you won't need to know about it where you're going."

Just as the man was about to make his move, Shepard heard pounding footsteps. The man froze. _No, not now!_ Shepard thought, panicked. _Turn around, kids!_

"Chancellor Shepard, what's wrong?" he heard Jaden Yuki cry.

"No! Kids, turn around!" Shepard yelled. Better him than them.

"What?" he heard Chazz Princeton call suspiciously. "Why?"

Before Shepard could respond, Jaden and Chazz raced into view. "Hey! I know you!" Jaden started enthusiastically.

"Wait a second…I thought you disappeared!" Chazz said accusingly, ignoring his companion's enthusiasm. "That duel arena burned to the ground and they couldn't find you _or_ your opponent anywhere!"

"And your yacht **(1)** suffered the same fate as the arena!" Chancellor Shepard added.

"Huh?" Jaden and Chazz gasped simultaneously. "What?"

GXGXGX

Aster glanced back at Atticus as he watched Jaden and Chazz leave. He felt his heart leap to his throat as he gazed at the dead boy. Suddenly, he wasn't in the abandoned dorm, but in his old house.

Ten years ago.

In the place where Atticus had previously laid, there laid Aster's father—dead. Aster felt tears come to his ocean-blue eyes. _Dad_, he thought sadly. _This is exactly as I found you ten years ago_. _But I don't feel as sad anymore_. Aster closed his eyes. _Now that I avenged your death by taking back Plasmius and defeating_…Aster's eyes snapped open. He was back in the abandoned dorm. It had all been a vision—but a helpful one.

_Atticus looks just like Dad did that morning when I found him_, Aster realized. _But that's impossible_. _Plasmius is right in my deck_…_isn't he?_ With trembling fingers, Aster reached for his deck and shuffled through it.

"No, _no_, _NO_!" Aster roared. Plasmius was gone.

Aster pulled out his PDA. He _had_ to call Chancellor Shepard…but the chancellor wasn't picking up. "Come on…" he growled.

"Hello?" _Finally!_ Aster thought as Shepard picked up. _Wait a minute here_…Shepard looked frightened, horrified, nervous, angry, and upset all rolled into one. His eyes were wide, his face was shining with sweat, his mouth was set in a grim line, and his eyebrows were knitted together in concentration. Or maybe it was something else; Aster wasn't quite sure.

"Chancellor Shepard, what's wrong?" Aster asked concernedly.

"Who is that?" Aster heard a voice growl in the background. "Who called?"

Before the Chancellor could reply, his PDA was swiped away. The person on the other side gasped when he saw Aster. "_There_ you are. I've been looking for you."

Aster's eyes widened. "I knew it. It _was_ you. You killed everyone."

The man laughed. "Exactly. And I'll have three more victims unless you get over here _right now_."

The man hung up. Aster held the PDA for a few more seconds, mentally absorbing what had just happened. Then he put his PDA back in his pocket and set off for the Chancellor's office at a run.

"I don't believe this," Aster muttered aloud. "I thought he was dead! His yacht caught fire and I was the only one who was rescued. Looks like I'm gonna have to take the D down—_again_!"

GXGXGX

**Footnote!**

**(1) Isn't that such a weird word? It sounds like yot, but it looks like yacht!**

**Anyway, in the next chapter, Aster and the D duel, but since I suck at writing duels (trust me, I tried**—**didn't turn out too well), I'm just gonna skip over it…maybe with some of the dialogue.**


	8. The Duel

**I'm back. I no its been awhile, but…as I said b4, school. Stupid, stupid school. And Girl Scouts, but that's not as bad. Plus, I edited earlier chapters, cause that "hate diary" thing of Aster's was stupid, like school. Plus, I'll live without it. So, if you wanna go back and reread it, that might be a good idea. Or not.**

GXGXGX

_D_, Aster thought as he raced towards Chancellor Shepard's office. _What are you planning? Why are you doing this?_ Aster squeezed his eyes shut. All his life, the D had been like a father to him, and so had Sartorius. First Sartorius betrayed his trust with the whole white thing, but that was just a fluke; it wasn't _really_ Sartorius, it was…some space thingy. Then it turned out that the D was being controlled by the same white entity. But the D really _was_ evil; he stole Plasmius and killed his father.

_Dad_, Aster grimaced and scowled to himself. _D killed you, and I thought I avenged you_. _But the D is still alive; I was wrong_. _Now I must take back Plasmius and rid the world of the D_. _The Light of Destruction has been vanquished_—_it is no longer controlling him_—_therefore, it is his own evil driving him_…_driving him to _kill. _At first, I thought that I would do anything to get away from Jaden and the others, but I didn't want anyone to be killed_…

"D!" Aster roared. He had entered the hallway where the D stood, his hand clutched around Jaden's arm, which he had pinned behind the brunette's back. In his other hand, he held a small knife, which was pressed to Jaden's throat. Chazz and Shepard where standing to his right, unable to do anything when Jaden's life was in danger.

"Ah, Aster," the D hissed. "So you _have_ arrived."

"You knew I would," Aster growled. "So are we gonna duel or what?" He held his arm up and activated his duel disk.

"You got it, kid." The D grinned viciously.

"You have to let _him_ go, first," Aster said, gesturing toward Jaden.

The D glanced at his hostage. "You have a point." He stuck his knife back in his pocket and shoved Jaden over to Chazz and Shepard, the former catching the trembling Slifer by the arms before he hit the floor.

"Let's duel," Aster growled as the D brought out his duel disk and activated it.

GXGXGX

Toward the end of the duel, Aster was winning—it looked like it would be a landslide victory. Aster had 2200 life points left, while the D only had 800. But it was the D's turn:

"I summon Plasmius!"

Aster gasped. It was hard enough to face and defeat his father's ultimate creation once; could he do it again? Aster clenched his teeth; he would have to—he had no choice.

"I end my turn," the D sneered.

"Huh." Aster drew a card, but before he could do anything, Plasmius's wings began to shimmer. Like busts made of tar, Aster's father's, Dr. Collector's **(A/N: the dude the D faced in a Pro League match right before he dueled Aster on his yacht)**, and finally Atticus's faces appeared in Plasmius's black wings.

"Aster," Aster's father began. "I am _so_ proud of you for having defeated the D that first time. But you must do it once more. However, this time, not only your life, but your friends' lives are on the line. I love you, son."

"Dad…" Aster murmured.

"Aster," Atticus cut in. "I tried to defeat the D, but I lost. Now I'm trapped here, with your dad and the prison dude, and Mindy and Jasmine are dead. I failed. Now it's all up to you."

Aster scowled and nodded determinedly. "Alright. Dad, Atticus…I won't let you guys down. I beat him once, I can do it again!"

"That's the spirit, Aster!" Aster's dad smiled sadly. "You can do it, son; I believe in you, son."

"Yeah," Atticus agreed, nodded. "Me, too, Ast." Then, all three faces disappeared.

_I'll do it, Dad_, Aster thought. _I'll defeat him_—_for you_.

GXGXGX

"NO!" Aster screamed. "How is that possible?"

"You like it? I just added these five to my deck," the D explained admiringly.

Aster couldn't believe it. Exodia. How did the D get a hold of those cards? Aster had successfully defeated Plasmius, but just when it seemed he would inevitably win, the D went and summoned Exodia. _Exodia_.

"And now I activate my facedown card!" the D exclaimed. "Call of the Haunted! Now with Plasmius on the field, your soul can be sucked into this card!"

"Exodia! Plasmius! Attack!"

"NO!" Aster howled as the two monsters easily destroyed his Dreadmaster, who had been on the field at the time, and depleted his life points. "I…lost?!"

GXGXGX

**Ohhh! Didn't see that coming, didja? Also, I'm not so sure about the Exodia card rules, so sorry if there's like, only one set of Exodia cards in the world or something. But you'll see why I couldn't resist putting it in and using something from Season 3.**


	9. There's No Place Like Home

**Yeah, short conclusion; I know.**

**Still don't own it.**

GXGXGX

"I…lost?!" Aster gasped. He felt his soul being pulled towards Plasmius, waiting to suck him in. The D began to laugh maniacally and the Pro fell to his knees.

"Aster!" the three spectators cried. Aster closed his eyes and clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to stay in his body. He knew that if he were out of the way, Jaden, Chazz, and Shepard would all end up like the other dead students. But he knew it was useless; he couldn't fight the power of Plasmius. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he felt himself begin to slip away…

GXGXGX

"NO!" Aster screamed, shooting up to a sitting position. "N—what?" He glanced around. His room. On his boat. In reality. "They're getting worse…" he murmured as he climbed out of bed. He had been having nightmares ever since he beat the D, but never that bad. What was with all those murders? And what was with Exodia? Where did _that_ come from? _That_ was just plain _weird_, not that nothing else in the dream was.

Aster shook his head. Was his subconscious trying to tell him something? Maybe that he should appreciate the people on Duel Academy more?

_Whatever_, Aster thought. _S'long as it wasn't real_. He had woken up that night once already from the D. _Maybe I should see a therapist_, he thought dejectedly.

GXGXGX

**I know. There's really no point to this story. But as I was finishing it, I realized that I couldn't just **_**kill**_** everyone (though I kinda want Alexis to die**—**don't like her much). And, yeah, I couldn't resist giving Aster a premonition from season three from his duel with Adrian Gecko.**

**But it's done! Finally! I've already got another fanfic in mind**—**so if u just **_**happen**_** to like Martin Mystery, that's gonna be the category for my next fic.**

**BYE!**

**(P.S. That first chapter, the Prologue? Yeah, that was real. Then chapters 2 up to this one were the dream. Just thought I'd explain.)**


End file.
